DUEL 2 NEWSLETTER
Date : 05/15/2004 Duedate: 05/28/2004
NOBLISH ISLAND ARENA
DM-93 TURN-167
This Weeks Top Honors
THE DUELMASTER IS
CHIP ENSER
MIDDLE WAY 10 (1360)
(93-7871) [7-2-1,73]
Chartered Recognition Leader Unchartered Recognition Leader
POSITION IS EMPTY CHIP ENSER
MIDDLE WAY 10 (1360)
(93-7871) [7-2-1,73]
Popularity Leader This Weeks Favorite
ALTA CHESS DOC FELLE
MIDDLE WAY 10 (1360) MIDDLE WAY 10 (1360)
(93-7869) [7-2-0,54] (93-7872) [5-4-0,26]
THE CURRENT TOP TEAM
MIDDLE WAY 10 (1360)
TEAMS ON THE MOVE TOP CAREER HONORS
Team Name Point Gain Chartered Team
1. MIDDLE WAY 10 (1360) 28
2. DOOM LEGION (1357) 0 THE RUSH (537)
3. THE LORDS OF WAR (1358) 0 Unchartered Team
MIDDLE WAY 10 (1360)
The Top Teams
Career Win-Loss Record W L K % Win-Loss Record Last 3 Turns W L K
1/ 2*MIDDLE WAY 10 (1360) 29 16 1 64.4 1/ 2*MIDDLE WAY 10 (1360) 10 5 0
2- 1*DOOM LEGION (1357) 17 10 2 63.0 2- 1*DOOM LEGION (1357) 8 2 1
3- 3*THE LORDS OF WAR (1358) 4 10 0 28.6 3- 3*THE LORDS OF WAR (1358) 0 1 0
'*' Unchartered team '-' Team did not fight this turn
(###) Avoid teams by their Team Id ##/## This turn's/Last turn's rank
TEAM SPOTLIGHT
+ ]H[ + ---:--- + ]H[ The Lighthouse ]H[ + ---:--- + ]H[ +
Where do you go when you leave Noblish Island?
After ten turns, just when you're getting used to the everlasting rain here on
Noblish Island, you're going to have to leave forever. Everyone (except me) leaves
after ten turns.
You have to go, but you get to choose your destination. Out of sixty or so
possible arenas, how do you choose?
Some of you will be following friends who have already gone, and for you this
question is moot. Otherwise....
Fast or slow? Noblish Island is a "fast" arena in that the fights are run every
two weeks. For some of you, this may not allow enough turn-around time. "Slow"
arenas run every four weeks. The slow arenas are 8, 28, 31, 39, 45, 47, 50, 52, 54,
59, and the three slow transfer arenas, 71, 72, and 73. You may have an unlimited
number of teams in a transfer arena, and many managers do; I would not recommend
choosing a transfer arena for your first non-Noblish home.
Regions--the world of Duelmasters is divided into four regions, which have
slightly different preferred style of management.
The Andorian region as a general rule tends toward a role-playing, non-killing
style of play. By "non-killing," I mean that Andorian managers perfer not to seek
kills and disapprove of down-challenging. In most (but not, alas, all) cases,
Andorian arenas will have lively personals. The Andorian arenas currently open are:
8 (slow), 11, 14, 22, 24, 25, 26, 30, 40, 41, 46, 52 (slow), 60, 63, and 71.
The Delarquan region, except in the case of some of the slow arenas, is not much
prone to role-playing and convesation. For Delarquans, the win is all. Down-
challenging is an accepted tactic used when desired by any manager. Deaths may be
more frequent than elsewhere. The Delarquan arenas currently open are: 1, 2, 3, 4,
5, 6, 7, 10, 18, 21, 36, 38, 39 (slow), 42, 51, 54 (slow), 59 (slow), 62, and 72.
The Free Blades region tends to be very active in the slow arenas and less
dogmatic in either direction about style of play. Free Blades arenas currently open
are: 9, 12, 15, 16, 17, 19, 28 (slow, currently hosting a contest), 29, 31 (slow),
32, 33, 35, 43, 45 (slow), 47 (slow), 50 (slow), 56, 61, and 73.
The Lirith Kai region is the youngest and is currently very small, having only
arenas 65, 74, 75, and 78 open at the present time. There is a tendency to prefer
the Andorian-style, "no down-challenges and no deliberate killing," but the managers
seem to be less dogmatic about it.
Note that currently contests of various kinds are being held in arenas 11, 18,
21, 28, 45, 47, 60, and 74. I may have missed some, but these I know about. Some
are just starting, some are just about done, others are in the middle. Contest
arenas will tend to be bigger than others while the contest is going on, and full of
often-confusing personals.
Large arenas or small ones?
There are advantages for a new manager in either choice. In a large arena,
there are lots of managers who will be willing to help a novice. There will be a lot
of variety in the kind of competition your warriors come up against--varieties in
style, management, levels of skill. You can learn a lot in large arenas. But there
are drawbacks, too. You can get lost in the crowd, maybe find no one or only a few
of the available responding to your personals. You can get caught between feuding
factions.
In small arenas, you soon get to know every manager's playing style and what to
expect from their warriors. If you write personals, they will be noticed and
probably responded to. But just as you get to know all the managers and warriors
sharing the arena with you, so will they get to know you. You may see a lot of
standbys fighting, and while they are relatively easier to beat, they don't teach as
well. After a while, you won't meet with many surprises.
If you have access to the internet, I strongly recommend that you check out
RSI's website and sample the newsletters of various arenas to get the flavor of them.
If not, ask for advice. Diplo managers mentioned in the Regional Arena News from
arenas you're interested in, as they are likely to be leaders in those arenas. Ask
questions here, in the personals or by diplo. I'd like to see you all have the best
possible Duelmasters experience that's consistent with other people doing the same,
and I ALWAYS have opinions!
Jorja
The Middle Way
+>]H[<+-----+>]H[<+ Question of the Week #1 +>]H[<+-----+>]H[<+
Hanibal, manager of Cannibalz in Aruak City (DM 11) and formerly of Noblish
Island, has asked a series of questions of the experienced managers of that arena. I
believe you might find these questions and answers instructive, or at least
interesting. Feel free to comment or question in response. That goes for other
experienced managers, too; I'm sure your input would be valuable. -- Jorja, The
Middle Way
Question, turn 396:
All -- If 2 identical warriors (theoretically) ran 10-10-2 and 10-10-8, who
would swing first? Would they both have an equal chance? -- Hanibal's question of
the week
Replies, turn 397:
Hanibal -- Of the three numbers, I think KD is least influential in determining
who swings first. I'm not discounting its involvement entirely, but there are many
factors that weigh more heavily. I ran aimers 10-10-1 for a long time, when it was
the 'in' thing to do, and they fought quite aggressively. KD might be more important
in determining who swings LAST. -- Generalissimo Puerco
Hannibal -- I firmly believe that 10-10-2 will sometimes outjump 10-10-8. And
vice versa. -- Kennelworth The Seasoned
See also Captain K's article on "Getting the Jump." It was printed in this
newsletter a few turns ago, but if you want a copy and don't have it, email me at
jputney@zianet.com and I'll send it to you. Okay, okay, if you don't have email,
request it in the personals or even send me a diplo. -- Jorja
P.S. I believe this may now be included in the regularly cycling articles.
Question, turn 397:
All -- If two warriors have a good damage rating, one has 11 str. and one has 13
str., would it make a difference in the amount of damage they do? -- Hanibal's Q.O.W.
P.S. Warriors are same size.
Replies, turn 398:
Hanibal -- Regarding your QoW, it is a very good question. I think that there
is a difference in damage done between warriors with different strengths but similar
damage comments. Of course the attack rating a warrior has can make a world of
difference too. I've got a piker (the Consortium may know Lustra from DM 52) that
has a 5 str. and does normal damage with a blow. Yet, she performs like a warrior
that does little damage. (And I have a lot of experience with those.) Not only
that, she has normal endurance, too, but she seems to get tired awfully quick for a
piker with normal endurance. So that's one example. Another is my overall look at
warriors that do 'little' damage.
If you take one with 9 str. and another with 13 str. I think a clear Difference
can be discerned. On the high end, my experience doesn't go much past 'good' damage.
But what I can say is that my warriors that do 'good' damage seem to do more damage
than my few warriors that have done 'tremendous' damage. That is probably because
those big strong warriors have relatively lousy attack ratings. So in a nutshell I
would say yes, there is a minor but still noticeable effect. What you might be
finding is that there seems to be differences within those broad categories given on
the warrior overview. It's just like if you raise con you improve your warrior's
ability to sustain damage a little bit, even if the comment on the overview stays the
same. Your questions are getting at some of the interesting subtleties of the game.
Keep asking them! -- Generalissimo Puerco
Q.O.W. (Hanibal) -- I don't think so. -- Adie
Pagan's replies:
Question, turn 396:
All -- If 2 identical warriors (theoretically) ran 10-10-2 and 10-10-8, who
would swing first? Would they both have an equal chance?
This is a loaded question. There are a number of factors which will determine which
warrior swings first. In speaking of this I can only tell you what I have a 'feel'
for. In no way does anyone know all the factors or how this works exactly unless
someone gets to look at the source code for the program. I will ignore the KD
dispute simply because I don't know.
The Factors:
1. At warrior creation, the program initiates a random string class to be used for
your warrior. Each string has a series of numbers that are pre-generated and always
the same. It however appears random except for the facts that some strings are good
for some warriors and bad for others. You'll notice this only over time. This
string class is permanent and not all of them are created equal. This is above and
beyond any total number of skills.
2. At fight time, the program calls a random string to be used for BOTH warriors.
This string affects the string of the warrior. This is why you will never see two
fights that are line-by-line exactly the same. But if the fights were constantly run
with exactly the same string, and no strategy changes are made then you will
consistently have the same fight line-by-line.
3. Fight-String modified Warrior-String# are taken for each warrior and #Decise-
skills + OE + string# + tactic + weapon-weight + style-adjustment equates to a
number.
4. These bonuses could be negative in adjustments also: IE. Running responsiveness
would be the addition of a negative number equal to warrior's Decise. Running decise
would increase a lot, running lunge, slash, or bash use initiative instead of Decise
if higher than current #decise skills.
4. Biggest controllable factors are OE, tactic, & weapon-weight
5. If the number for JUMP does not have a disparity of a specific number then a
continued clash will occur until that disparity is shown. Then the fight actually
begins. You can have a series of 8+ clash statements until the program finds who
starts and initiates the fight sequences. Example: fighterA ends up with a jump# of
60 and fighterB ends up with a jump# of 65; if the disparity had to be 10 points then
what would happen is a clash statement would be printed and the steps repeated. The
next number from the Fight-String is called along with the next number in each of the
Warrior-strings ; the computation is done again until the disparity (for the computer
anyway) becomes true. Then the fight sequence is activated. -- Pagan
Question, turn 397:
All -- If two warriors have a good damage rating, one has 11 str. And one has 13
str., would it make a difference in the amount of damage they do? -- Hanibal's Q.O.W.
P.S. Warriors are same size.
Most definitely. Weapon damage is equated to Strength + damage class. So damage is
done like this:
1. Armor weight + 12 + any bonus it has vs weapon type is a negative to the damage
done. (How the hell did he get 12!?)
2. Damage done is strength + damage class variable + weapon variable.
3. Slashing & Bashing increase the damage done.
4. When the damage done equals 1 or less then there is a weapon bounce statement.
The minimum damage a blow can do is 1 point of damage. The program knows there's a
hit before it knows damage so you can't reverse a hit, you merely take a minimum of 1
point of damage to your hit-points.
5. The lower your strength then more bounces you will see. The lower your damage
class the more bounces you will see. The lighter weight a weapon is vs the armor its
hitting the more bounces you will see.
6. In reverse to #5, all of those secondary-damage statements (often referred to as
extra-damage statements) such as "it was a devastating blow"... "what a massive blow"
-- these merely show that you hit your opponent with enough damage to exceed the
computer secondary-damage statement threshold. Your warrior caused enough damage to
exceed a programmed set number (whatever that number may be) and the fight is only
showing that you exceeded that number. The programmed number for the secondary-damage
threshold is a Hard number: it is constant within the program and is used for all
fights and all warriors. It is not random. It has nothing to do with how much
damage you did in relation to your opponent's hit-points either. If you exceed that
number in damage, you get a printed statement showing that to be the case. There is
no such thing as Extra-Damage. -- Pagan
Question, turn 398:
All -- If you lower your kill desire in desperation, do you have less of a chance of
being killed? -- Hanibal's Q.O.W.
Replies, turn 399:
Q.O.W. -- I think that if your KD is lower in desperation, you're more likely to
surrender than draw out the fight. Drawing out the fight by having a higher KD gives
the attacker more chance to kill you. But you could defend and make a come-back.
But that higher KD also lowers your defensive ability somewhat. -- Adie
Hanibal's Q.o.W -- Yes, lowering your own KD helps keep you alive and allows you to
surrender...hopefully in time. -- Armalias
Hanibal -- The choice of kill desire in desperation seems to be a very tactically
important one. I do believe that lowering kill desire will tend to preserve a
warrior's life by making him give up (and end the fight) sooner. This also means
the warrior may end up losing fights he could have won if he had hung around. I
think scum strategy is a good example of this. While it may be counterintuitive, a
good scum strategy involves using a moderate to high kill desire. This is done to
prevent them from giving up prematurely. Also, most managers don't care too much if
their scum gets killed, so there's no point to running with a low KD. There's a very
good article on the total parry written by Scrag, in which this scheme is discussed.
Maybe you saw it in Noblish. Personally, I either lower or raise KD in desperation,
based on my expectations for a particular warrior. I think it was Miles that first
wrote on this way of looking at kill desire, and I believe it to be the most correct.
Other published theories, such as Jessie Jest's, are variably more questionable.
(But then, everything Jessie Jest wrote should be taken with a grain of salt.) --
Generalissimo Puerco
Question, turn 399:
All -- If you have 18 HP and cannot take a lot of punishment and raise con once to
normal--20 HP, does the rating affect the rate at which you take damage or do you
just have 2 more Hit Points? -- Hanibal's Q.O.W.
Replies, turn 400:
Hanibal's QOW -- I think you just get a bump in hit points. But that little bump
makes a big difference. I think armor and warrior experience are the only factors
that affect the rate of damage per blow. -- Adie
P.S. There's a new chart for hit points that is more accurate and does not involve a
luck factor.
Hanibal -- I think the amount of damage a warrior can take is not variable but
constant. The variables in the equation are: the weapon being struck with and the
armor it is striking, and the attack and damage-dealing ability of the warrior doing
the swinging. Not to mention kill desire, as discussed last turn. -- Generalissimo
Puerco
* }%|[-----+O+-----]|%{ * }%|[-----+O+-----]|%{ * }%|[-----+O+-----]|%{ *
---===FREE BLADES REGIONAL NEWS===---
Duelmasters
-----------
DM 9 ZUKAL (turn 491): ANXIETY of DSM4 (The Sandman, mgr.)
DM 12 RIZTAB (turn 489): THE TICK of THE CITY (Berylstar, mgr.)
DM 15 MALCORN (turn 485): LITTLE CURRENT of TRIPLE CROWN (Sultan, mgr.)
DM 16 WILLAF (turn 485): CALIAPHUS of BLACKHEART'S AXE (?, mgr.)
DM 17 ALJAFIR (turn 483): CREME A. SHUN of DELTA DOOM (Barnabas, mgr.)
DM 19 ZUWAYZA (turn 482): BLUE of THE SIERRAS (Barnabas, mgr.)
DM 28 MORYA (turn 241): PARADOX of SHADOW GATE (Shadowgate, mgr.)
DM 29 LAPUR (turn 474): BINDI of CROC FILES (THawk, mgr.)
DM 31 CHIMLEVTAL (turn 238): SYWINELL of BUSHMASTERS (Tripwire, mgr.)
DM 32 ARVAT (turn 471): STYLISH of SARATOGA GLORY (The Trainer, mgr.)
DM 33 NIATOLI ISLAND (turn 469): ASKELIA of LA JOYEUX COCHON (T'Loi, mgr.)
DM 35 MURSKA (turn 462): TOM THUMB of THE BEARS (Papa Bear, mgr.)
DM 43 VEASTIAN (turn 425): MISERY of HELL'S PAWNS (Harbinger, mgr.)
DM 45 STORMCROWE (turn 216): SCORPIUS of KNIGHT BREED (The Omnimancer, mgr.)
DM 47 NORTH FORK (turn 210): 100% COLUMBIAN of COFFEE RULES! (Mr. Coffee, mgr.)
DM 50 SNOWBOUND (turn 197): TOM SMITH DISEASE of STRANGE TUNES (Berylstar, mgr.)
DM 56 ROCANIS (turn 350): ANDREW of ROLE MONSTERS (Keldon Blackfang, mgr.)
DM 61 JURINE (turn 330): FREDDIE of FAVORITE GUYS (Jorja, mgr.)
DM 73 ERINIKA (turn 146): CROSS CZECH of WORLDWIDE GORE (Crip, mgr.)
ADM 103 FREE BLADES (turn 375): E.A.POLECAT of DRAKE'S BAR-B-Q from MALCORN (Drake)
Top Teams
---------
DM 9 ZUKAL (turn 491): SOLITAIRE (The Dark One, mgr.)
DM 12 RIZTAB (turn 489): ARENA FELINES (Garfield, mgr.)
DM 15 MALCORN (turn 485): TRIPLE CROWN (Sultan, mgr.)
DM 16 WILLAF (turn 485): PUNNY AMINALS (Jorja, mgr.)
DM 17 ALJAFIR (turn 483): HEROESANDFOUNDONES (The Judge, mgr.)
DM 19 ZUWAYZA (turn 482): CURTAIN CALL (?, mgr.)
DM 28 MORYA (turn 241): SHADOW GATE (Shadowgate, mgr.)
DM 29 LAPUR (turn 474): CROC FILES (THawk, mgr.)
DM 31 CHIMLEVTAL (turn 238): WHAMMO & THUDDA 4 U! (Micky, mgr.)
DM 32 ARVAT (turn 471): DEVIL ADVOCATES (The Dark One, mgr.)
DM 33 NIATOLI ISLAND (turn 469): WHEN DOGMA FAILS (Prophet, mgr.)
DM 35 MURSKA (turn 462): LOST CAUSE (Vol, mgr.)
DM 43 VEASTIAN (turn 425): WIDOWMAKERS (Soultender, mgr.)
DM 45 STORMCROWE (turn 216): MOJO P@TROL (Master Voodoo, mgr.)
DM 47 NORTH FORK (turn 210): LAND OF OZ (Oz the Successful, mgr.)
DM 50 SNOWBOUND (turn 197): TEAM VIRTUE (Boy Scout, mgr.)
DM 56 ROCANIS (turn 350): ROLE MONSTERS (Keldon Blackfang, mgr.)
DM 61 JURINE (turn 330): FAVORITE GUYS (Jorja, mgr.)
DM 73 ERINIKA (turn 146): MAGIC MAYHEM (Fizban, mgr.)
ADM 103 FREE BLADES (turn 375): BLACKEST PRIDE (Sylvester Frothingslosh, mgr.)
Recent Graduates
-----------------
DM 12 RIZTAB (turn 488): FLADRAKEEN OOSCH of TEAM GNASTY (Big Gnasty, mgr.)
DM 16 WILLAF (turn 484): ANTEZEL of WYLDERNESS WYLD (Barnabas, mgr.)
MANAGER TC'S of IT'S JUST WRONG (LHI, mgr.)
DM 17 ALJAFIR (turn 483): CREME A. SHUN of DELTA DOOM (Barnabas, mgr.)
DM 19 ZUWAYZA (turn 482): BLUE of THE SIERRAS (Barnabas, mgr.)
DM 28 MORYA (turn 240): LOONY LATEKNIGHT of IDIOTIC ICCERS (THawk, mgr.)
IDIOTIC INDIGO of IDIOTIC ICCERS (THawk, mgr.)
DM 29 LAPUR (turn 474): BINDI of CROC FILES (THawk, mgr.)
(turn 473): RAGING FIRE of DEATH THREAT (Papa Bear, mgr.)
DM 31 CHIMLEVTAL (turn 238): UNCAS of THE STORMGUARDS (The Icelord, mgr.)
(turn 237): HUNGRY BONES of UNFIT TO BE ORCS (Slugbait, mgr.)
DM 33 NIATOLI ISLAND (turn 468): LIGHT DA' PYRE of WHEN DOGMA FAILS (Prophet, mgr.)
CATNIP of VOLUNTEER FLOWERS (Inferno, mgr.)
DM 43 VEASTIAN (turn 424): FLESHRENDER of WIDOWMAKERS (Soultender, mgr.)
DM 47 NORTH FORK (turn 210): 100% COLUMBIAN of COFFEE RULES! (Mr. Coffee, mgr.)
BLACK JACK SHELACK of ROYAL FLUSH (Crip, mgr.)
TENT IN QUARANTINO of SPOONERTIKS (Spawn, mgr.)
(turn 209): SUGAR CUBE of COFFEE RULES! (Mr. Coffee, mgr.)
101 PROOF!! of COFFEE RULES! (Mr. Coffee, mgr.)
DM 61 JURINE (turn 330): MARTINE of FAVORITE GUYS (Jorja, mgr.)
(turn 329): NINNUAM of CHILDREN OF CTHULHU (The Sandman, mgr.)
DM 73 ERINIKA (turn 145): CONUNDRUM of MYSTERIOUS (Mad Max, mgr.)
PRIZMATYK WAHL of MAGIC MAYHEM (Fizban, mgr.)
DUELMASTER'S COLUMN
Notes from the arena champ.
A Venomous Concubine? I'm too YOUNG to deal with a Venomous Concubine! I don't
know how to handle her!
But at least she doesn't get to be Duel 2.
Chip Enser
SPY REPORT
If you were disturbed from your beauty rest only to have to watch a bunch of
NOBLISH ISLAND brutes like you, you'd be grouchy, too. Later days, DOOM LEGION,
since MIDDLE WAY 10 took top team from you this turn, you guys are old news. Of
course, we're all terribly impressed to see ALTA CHESS win a fight and gain 8 points,
terribly. And if variety is the spice of life, NOBLISH ISLAND may be getting bland,
as CHIP ENSER stays top dog in the city. I'm not in a very good mood today, but why
am I telling you this? You want to know what's new, don't you, NOBLISH ISLAND?
He who fights and runs away will live to fight another day, the coward.
Some people like volunteer work in the hospitals. I volunteer for NOBLISH
ISLAND's morgue. More variety. Titanium shields and bamboo daggers, guess what
brave team is developing these kinds of weapons?
I was about to buy a new quill pen the other day, but some fighter took it for
an epee. Forgive me for writing with a dagger. Just wait 'till next time I show up
here, I won't be so nice! So nyaaah! I see the crowds are getting restless, I must
leave now-- Snide Clemens
DUELMASTER W L K POINTS TEAM NAME
CHIP ENSER 7871 7 2 1 73 MIDDLE WAY 10 (1360)
ADEPTS W L K POINTS TEAM NAME
ALTA CHESS 7869 7 2 0 54 MIDDLE WAY 10 (1360)
-BROPHY 7856 5 1 0 46 DOOM LEGION (1357)
BENSI DURN 7870 7 2 0 35 MIDDLE WAY 10 (1360)
CHALLENGER INITIATES W L K POINTS TEAM NAME
-SOONTODIE 7904 3 0 1 32 DOOM LEGION (1357)
DOC FELLE 7872 5 4 0 26 MIDDLE WAY 10 (1360)
-SHADOW STALKER 7861 4 2 0 26 THE LORDS OF WAR (1358)
-GRATCH 7903 3 1 1 25 DOOM LEGION (1357)
INITIATES W L K POINTS TEAM NAME
-RAGNAROK 7853 4 2 0 21 DOOM LEGION (1357)
-POISON SUMAC 7855 2 4 0 21 DOOM LEGION (1357)
EB GOLLU 7873 3 6 0 16 MIDDLE WAY 10 (1360)
-RUNT 7905 0 1 0 1 THE LORDS OF WAR (1358)
-PIT VIPER 7901 0 1 0 1 THE LORDS OF WAR (1358)
'-' denotes a warrior who did not fight this turn.
THE DEAD W L K TEAM NAME SLAIN BY TURN Revenge?
DYAN DEATHBLADE 7900 0 1 0 THE LORDS OF WAR 1358 GRATCH 7903 163 REVENGED
PERSONAL ADS
You would think after so many years of being thrown into the arena for usery, the
merchants of Alastari would be more moderate in their selection of interest rates,
wouldn't you? But they never seem to learn. -- Alta Chess
Brophy -- I kiss you on both cheeks, even though you're a disgusting hairy dwarf and
you won, because you're REAL. What a relief. -- Doc Felle
Poison Sumac -- Did you know that if goats eat you, and you drink their milk, you
break out in a rash inside? Disgusting, isn't it? -- Bensi Durn
P.S. You might try running more defensively. You know, more armor, slower, stuff
like that. Of course, the match was a bad one for you to begin with.
Ragnarok -- So, is this the end of the world? Surely not! -- Eb Gollu
Shadow Stalker -- You're welcome to it, but you have to be active. -- Chip Enser
P.S. Besides, I only have two more turns here before I'm shipped out to who-knows-
where on the mainland.
Comments on the articles--
A Sacred Lord's Slasher, by Bookie. This manager is active in DM 36, as indicated.
The fighter would work. I don't say I'd do it that way, either in set-up or
strategy, but it WOULD work, and might work very well. I just have my own
preferences....
Kill Desire: "Patience" by Jessie Jest. This manager is inactive. I don't know that
I agree with him completely on this, but I also don't think he's completely wrong.
It's one of those shadowy areas where everyone has opinions and very few people have
hard facts.
Some Info on the Ripper, by Necrom. So far as I know, this manager is inactive. I
agree with him on the question of warrior SZ, and maybe SP, but not on anything else!
For instance, I try not to go below SZ 9 on any style, because I hate warriors who do
little damage. They lose and they die. I wouldn't say "any" on CN, because a ripper
is an endurance style (you can tell by the word "parry" in the name). And I wouldn't
burn the add-on points to take WT, WL, and/or DF to 21, if they weren't there
already. You lose too much elsewhere (like survivability) for the few skills you
gain over a stat of 17 in any one of those areas. And, of course, with radically
different stats, you need a different strategy....
Crimson Strikers, by Crimson Strategist. So far as I know, this manager is currently
not active. His article, however, is a good one.
6 May 2004
DEATH FEST
The ferocious ghosts of former glories whispered across the wind swept sands of
DM 59; agonizing incessantly due to the diminutive demise of the Delarq arena known
as Illis.
Tattered banners and forgotten memories wailed in the wind for a dynamic death
march to dawn once more upon the blood stained sands of the Delarq slow arena.
The distant call crying for a declaration of restoration amidst the ruin of the
all but forgotten Delarq arena carried to the far corners of Alastari; drawing the
Devious, the Diabolical, the Dangerous and the Down Challenging to cross blades and
wage warfare among an assemblage of new stables managed by the Known and Unknown;
willing to spill fresh blood, while carving their destiny during 15 Rounds of contest
driven combat to be known as the "Illis Incredibly Diabolical Delarq Death Fest".
A lone cloaked figure huddled by lamplight in a remote outpost near the
crossroads of ElseWhere and ElseWhen; feverishly formulating the foundational
framework for the dawning of the Delarq Death Fest in DM 59, complete with
Gladiatorial Commission sanctioned prizes to promote the growing thirst for a Delarq
Slow Arena Death Festival.
Delarq Death Fest Opening Round debuts the first turn immediately following the
Summer 2004 F2F Tourney and continues through the completion of 15 consecutive
rounds.
Death Fest points are Won or Lost ONLY in the DM 59 Delarq Slow Arena [Tourneys
DO NOT Add or Subtract from the Death Fest Point Scoring System]:
Death Fest Scoring Format:
Win =3D +2 pts
Loss =3D -1 pt
Kill =3D +5 pts [in addition to +2 pts for Win]
Death =3D -3 pts [in addition to 1 pt for Loss]
Dark Arena Kill =3D +10 pts [in addition to +2 pts for Win]
Dark Arena Death =3D -5 pts [in addition to 1 pt for Loss]
Revenged Blood Feud =3D +5 pts [successful Revenged Blood Feud provides Death Fest
contestants the opportunity to cancel out 3 pts for Death and 1 pt for Loss; while
gaining +1 pt overall for the Revenged Blood Feud in addition to the +2 pts for Win]
DEATH FEST PRIZES will be awarded to the Top Ten Death Fest Stables on the basis
of Total Points*** accumulated during the 15 rounds of competition as follows:
1. Favorite Weapon Knowledge for 1 (one) warrior ranked Initiate or higher on the
Final Round to be revealed by RSI to each of the Top Ten Death Fest Stables
2. Renaming of Dark Arena Monsters and NPCs [yet to be determined according to how
many DA Monsters and NPCs are available in DM 59 for Renaming]
3. The Top Five Death Fest Stables will receive New Team Rollup Certificates as
follows: 1st (10), 2nd (8), 3rd (6), 4th (4) and 5th (2)
4. Renaming Illis Arena for 6 months plus Receiving 6 months Free Play courtesy of
RSI will be awarded to the manager of the 1st Place Death Fest Stable
5. Discussions are underway regarding a possible Special Award granted to the Illis
Iron Stable qualifiers who compete in 67 of a possible 75 fights during the course of
the 15 consecutive rounds of the Death Fest [Key Factor is How Many (?) stables will
be competing in the Death Fest without drawing away participation by current managers
in the remaining slow arenas!] Therefore, it is important for all managers entering
stables in DM 59 for the upcoming Death Fest to contact RSI as soon as possible
regarding their participation in this contest so that a Final Ruling on the proposed
Illis Iron Stable Award can be issued by RSI.
***TieBreaker is determined on the Final Round by the DM 59 Newsletter Recognition
Rankings. The stable with the Highest Ranked Active Gladiator is granted the
decision. [Example: Warrior A and Warrior B are both listed in the Recognition
Rankings with 87 pts; however, because Warrior A is listed in the Recognition
Rankings ahead of Warrior B, then Warrior A is granted the TieBreaker Decision for
His/Her stable!]
Opening Round Team Spotlight Bonus [minimum 15 paragraphs!] Each Delarq Death
Fest competitor who writes a Team Spotlight featuring their Stable (Name) and
Managerial Alias [Gladiatorial Names Optional] in regards to competing in the Delarq
Death Fest will receive 25 pts added to His/Her opening round score.
Illis Iron Stable Bonus [in addition to the proposed award awaiting RSI
approval!] Any manager whose stable competes in at least 67 of the possible 75
fights during the 15 rounds of Death Fest receives 25 points added to His/Her final
overall score [this allows each stable the cushion of missing one round of
competition; plus up to 3 additional fights due to waiting for replacement rollups
from Deaths suffered either in Tourneys or during the Death Fest contest in DM 59
over the course of 15 rounds of competition!]
Delarq Death Fest
Hosted by Hammer
[Who Else?]
LAST WEEK'S FIGHTS
CHIP ENSER bested M. CHARDINEE in a 1 minute Title fight.
ALTA CHESS devastated AMBITIOUS GUARD in a 1 minute one-sided duel.
DOC FELLE slimly lost to THE USEROUS MERCHANT in a 6 minute gory match.
BENSI DURN won victory over OSKSI NOBLE in a 5 minute brawl.
EB GOLLU bested PERSISTANT BEGGAR in a 2 minute fight.
BATTLE REPORT
MOST POPULAR RECORD DURING THE LAST 10 TURNS
|FIGHTING STYLE FIGHTS FIGHTING STYLE W - L - K PERCENT|
|LUNGING ATTACK 1 LUNGING ATTACK 12 - 3 - 1 80 |
|SLASHING ATTACK 1 TOTAL PARRY 10 - 4 - 0 71 |
|BASHING ATTACK 1 PARRY-LUNGE 5 - 2 - 0 71 |
|TOTAL PARRY 1 SLASHING ATTACK 10 - 5 - 1 67 |
|WALL OF STEEL 1 WALL OF STEEL 13 - 9 - 1 59 |
|AIMED BLOW 0 AIMED BLOW 5 - 6 - 0 45 |
|PARRY-LUNGE 0 PARRY-STRIKE 3 - 4 - 1 43 |
|PARRY-STRIKE 0 BASHING ATTACK 9 - 14 - 0 39 |
|PARRY-RIPOSTE 0 PARRY-RIPOSTE 3 - 9 - 0 25 |
|STRIKING ATTACK 0 STRIKING ATTACK 3 - 9 - 0 25 |
Turn 167 was great if you Not so great if you used The fighting styles of the
used the fighting styles: the fighting styles: top eleven warriors are:
LUNGING ATTACK 1 - 0 AIMED BLOW 0 - 0 2 SLASHING ATTACK
SLASHING ATTACK 1 - 0 PARRY-LUNGE 0 - 0 2 WALL OF STEEL
BASHING ATTACK 1 - 0 PARRY-STRIKE 0 - 0 2 BASHING ATTACK
TOTAL PARRY 1 - 0 PARRY-RIPOSTE 0 - 0 1 LUNGING ATTACK
STRIKING ATTACK 0 - 0 1 PARRY-LUNGE
WALL OF STEEL 0 - 1 1 TOTAL PARRY
1 AIMED BLOW
1 PARRY-RIPOSTE
TOP WARRIOR OF EACH STYLE
FIGHTING STYLE WARRIOR W L K PNTS TEAM NAME
LUNGING ATTACK CHIP ENSER 7871 7 2 1 73 MIDDLE WAY 10 (1360)
SLASHING ATTACK ALTA CHESS 7869 7 2 0 54 MIDDLE WAY 10 (1360)
TOTAL PARRY BENSI DURN 7870 7 2 0 35 MIDDLE WAY 10 (1360)
Note: Warriors have a winning record and are an Adept or Above.
The overall popularity leader is ALTA CHESS 7869. The most popular warrior this turn
was DOC FELLE 7872. The ten other most popular fighters were CHIP ENSER 7871, ALTA
CHESS 7869, EB GOLLU 7873, BENSI DURN 7870, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, and 0.
The least popular fighter this week was BENSI DURN 7870. The other ten least popular
fighters were EB GOLLU 7873, ALTA CHESS 7869, CHIP ENSER 7871, DOC FELLE 7872, 0,
0, 0, 0, 0, and 0.
REALITY SIMULATIONS E-MAIL ADDRESSES
For those of you who have e-mail access, you may find it more convenient to e-mail us!
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or any other requests, feel free to send us e-mail to this address:
CSR@REALITY.COM
Thank you. We wish you the best of luck in your games! -- RSI
A NOTE ON MAILMEN
In response to the articles on new fighting styles, those were good, but how can
you forget our most favorite warrior who has a style all his own? The Mailman! To
Duelmasters he is our most sacred person. I mean, how many of you managers out their
have sat down and calculated what day your Duelmasters will arrive and have sat
waiting for it to arrive, while unknown to you, your mailman is fighting away to get
your Duelmasters delivered. Let's review him...
ST - should be around 19. He needs to heft two medium bags, cloth mail armor and
a ton of rubber bands.
CN - 13, give or take a few. He does get bitten by dogs often.
SZ - Any.
WT - At least 10. He often likes to read the mail.
WL - Try about 20. He must endure all kinds of weather.
SP - 16 is good. He needs to run across streets in traffic.
DF - 10 is good. Sometimes he has to carry packages.
This setup should get you a good mailman but they are hard to come by. If you
can come up with any better, diplo me. I am:
Staple Gun
mgr. of Technet (3)
The New Deal (23)
I am currently working on the U.P.S. and Federal Express warriors.
"Strikers R Us"
Greetings, everyone. It is I, Talon, again. I am very glad to see everyone
participating in the arena and sharing their thoughts on styles and strategies. This
turn I will take on the striking attack style, which is certainly one of my favorites.
I believe the striker is one of the easiest styles to run, and one in which no
team should be without. A high-powered striker can diversify and empower your team.
A well run striker can beat any other style, period, at any level in regular
Duelmasters. In arenas where scum TPs are rampant, strikers are just the answer as
they can attack for up to 12 minutes or more. Strikers are versatile. They can do
exceptionally well with a dagger as a weapon or with a halberd. They can do well with
no armor or with plate armor.
Stats:
Biff Primal Solid Perfect
ST 5-21 9-17 13 15
CN 3+ 3+ 6 3
SZ 9-21 3-17 9 5
WT 3-17 17 + 17 21
WL 9-17 13 + 17 15
SP 5+ 5-13 9 8
DF 9+ 9-17 13 17
With the way I design strikers, there are essentially two strikers that evolve.
The BIFF and the PRIMAL. The Biff striker is typically one that is not looking long-
term, but one which I want to run and have fun with. With this striker, I try to have
one stat (wit, will, or deftness) which is extraordinary, one which is average, and
the other ends up being at some non-normal level. Some examples of the Biff are: 10-
10-11-4-17-17-15, 7-11-17-17-11-6-15, 9-5-14-17-11-13-15, 4-8-17-15-13-10-17, and 21-
3-15-21-5-8-11. With these warriors, the emphasis is on having fun and learning more
about the style.
The Primal is essentially a Primus-quality warrior. In this category, the
striker will be designed with stats that most other managers will gasp, "OH MY, WHY
DID YOU MAKE HIM A STRIKER?" It is also the warrior that will be Duelmaster for 8
straight turns and will go to ADM with a 16-4-2 record, with 4 Masters and an Ad Ex.
The key here is to create a warrior with AT LEAST a 17 wit and 15 deftness, along with
a 13+ will and who will do normal damage or better. The goal with the Primal is a 21
wit and 17 deftness, because this will ensure a great warrior.
Weapons and Armor: As for weapons, the best striking weapons that I have found
and used are the dagger, epee, scimitar, broadsword, quarterstaff, greatsword,
longsword, war hammer, and sometimes the short spear. I don't run my strikers with
shields or off-hand weapons, as it takes away from their attack. The heaviest armor I
will use is padded leather. Always wear a steel cap or a helm.
Strategy (general):
Min. 1 2 3 4 5 6+ Desp
OE 10 8 6 6 6 5 5
AL 10 5 4 2 2 1 8
KD 6 8 6 6 6 5 5
attack arms/legs/head -- take your pick
protect arms/legs/head -- take your pick
off tactic decise, slash, bash, depending on weapon
def tactic response is best; try dodge though.
With this strategy, a striker with a normal endurance should fight for eight
minutes as a scum TP and come out on top, outrageously victorious. Just match your
weapon with your tactic and only use the tactics in minute one or desperation.
If you have any further questions on this or any other style, feel free to diplo
me.
Talon, mgr. Eagle's Claw
HOW I MADE DUELMASTER IN THREE EASY STEPS
OR
a new look for Aimed Blows
Greetings and salutations, all. Here's a new twist on aimed blows I haven't seen
before....one that works, at least for me! Here's what I did with Rex Walters, my
first Duelmaster in the Free Blades transfer arena, DM 70.
ST: 17 (for good damage, attack and parry skills)
CN: 13 (gonna need every hit point he can get)
SZ: 4 (smaller the better!)
WT: 4 (overrated for aimed blows!)
WL: 21 (if ya try this method, 17 is a MINIMUM)
SP: 4 (ya want NO speed, none, nothing, zero!)
DF: 21 (better max this one out too, at least a 19)
You laugh at me? I started expert in both attack and parry! (OK, so I got lucky,
I didn't expect either one of em.) But both are in reach with a little luck. Hey, if
ya can get that strength to 21 you're almost guaranteed those experts... though a bit
more CON would be nice.
But how do I RUN this monstrosity, you may ask? Why, I'm glad you inquired!
LOTS of armor. The hit points combined with, say, platemail should win this character
a lot of fights. But, while I've picked up a few easy wins scumming, that's not
really what this character does best.
I use the only weapon Rex is well suited to: the bare hand. With an offhand
small shield or shortsword, so I can take advantage of that expert parry rating. So:
FI-SH, APM-H.
And I run him at a 4 offensive effort, with a matching 4 activity level. He can
last through the initial onslaught of nearly any offensive, then smash them.... like a
good waste. And with that monster endurance and good damage, no one scums this
warrior!
I attack and protect the head, usually, and keep the kill desire high... 5-7
generally. Now, how to become Duelmaster?
Well, step one is fight your first fight... and train your CON. Step two, now
that you're in the arena, is get a fight with an up-and-coming young warrior from the
Duelmaster's team... and kill them. (I randomly matched up with, and killed, a member
of the incoming Duelmaster's team...luck helps, ya know.) Offensives that wear
themselves out but haven't quite dropped are the easiest to kill.
Then, when the Duelmaster comes at you (bragging about how he "only" needs to
beat you twice to assure his ascension to the Isle) you stomp him. Badly. Once
you're on that lofty throne he won't even be able to bloodfeud you, since you can bet
he's not gonna be anywhere near the challenger champions after losing to a 2-fight
warrior (just ask Ciron of ENDS WITH IRON, now in AD).
There are drawbacks, of course. Once you get to that level, odds are you're
gonna get stomped like a stuck pig (I was most challenged 2 turns in a row after this
trick... Oo! I love mixed metaphors...) But... even a 4 wit warrior can learn skills
against gladiators with 50 fights!
Rex is now 7-3-1. All three losses have come against warriors now in AD. In
those ten matches, he's trained his strength and constitution once each, and learned
twenty skills, including his adex in both parry and attack. And boy, is it fun
humiliating some of those "gods" bound for AD!
What else can one do with this warrior? Well, Rex is, get this, well suited to
an off-hand epee! He wouldn't dare use one as a primary weapon, but its a great off-
hand toy...
Does he have what it takes to be a long-term winner? Who knows? He's probably
the DUMBEST aimed blow to ever make Duelmaster... He's in the Challenger Champions and
climbing....and he'll meet ya in AD!
Amazingly enough, this is not an isolated fluke. We entered a similar warrior
into Bloodgames (with the 4's as 3's, and a bit more CON). That warrior, Jalon, is
now in AD after going 9-1-5 and finishing on TOP of his Bloodgames arena.
Ah, just thought I'd mention I have had a second bare-handed Duelmaster, now...
Seeker Still Water in DM 74 is an open-hand lunger, Duelmaster at 8-1... but that's
another story...
--Khyron
mgr., Pitt Gladiators (2,29,56,103)
Jayhawks (70)
Silent Storm (65,74,75)
and numerous others....
THE WALL OF STEEL AS A BERSERKER
This article is for newer players; more experienced managers will, I'm sure, have
much more sophisticated ideas about warrior design and strategy. This will enable a
newbie to design a competent warrior who should be able to achieve a better than 50/50
record.
The wall of steel, or "waste," is often considered the second scummiest style in
Duelmasters. I love the style, but I don't run mine that way; I prefer to think of
the waste as a fierce dervish ripping into his opponent like an airplane propeller.
In accordance with this view, most walls of steel that I design couldn't scum if they
wanted to (well all right, sometimes it happens by accident if the opposing warrior is
going all-out and can't last very long). It's fun to run them fast; they get the jump
on people who don't expect it of them, and their fights are exciting. Mind you, they
don't win as much as if they ran more defensively, but the ones with good stats still
do okay (I'll make practically anything a waste and run it, but this article isn't
about the ones that a sane manager would DA).
So, here is a design for a competent wall of steel:
ST 13+ Needed for endurance, damage doing, and weapon selection.
CN 9+ You need a passably good con for endurance.
SZ 7+ Teeny weenie wastes don't hit hard enough or take enough damage. Real big
(15+) is bad because it hurts endurance.
WT 13+ Preferably 17. Like any other style, the smarter they are, the better.
WL 17+ Needed for endurance, damage-taking, and sheer grit. 21 is recommended.
SP 3+ Whatever.
DF 7+ Higher deftness is better, but you can get by without it.
As you can see, these are fairly easy requirements. Of course, the more wit,
will, and deftness, the better your waste will be (same as any other style). If you
don't end up with at least good endurance on the overview, the warrior probably isn't
going to do very well. With that high will, though, you can bump con a couple of
times and you might get good endurance, so there's still a chance.
Choose your weapons based on deftness, and your opponent's armor weight. I
normally use something like 0-8 SC, 9-12 BS, 13+ GA, backup SC or BS. No shield.
Some other good weapons for the waste are QS (only takes 11 ST, and can hit heavy
armor), MS, and BA. The war flail isn't a very good weapon, but you can play with it
against leather armor. For armor, I usually choose something middling like ARM & H,
but will go with APL & H if he has a lot of con.
For strategy--I heard a rumor (NOT confirmed) that a wall of steel gets a bonus
if his OE equals his KD. Since I don't like to use a kill desire above 6, I don't go
by that in the first couple of minutes. Keep the activity level moderate to low; the
waste doesn't need to jump around a lot and the way he keeps his weapon moving, he's
burning a lot of endurance without that added drain. Attack and defend the arms, like
a slasher; a waste is a sort of parry-slasher. A typical strategy for my wastes might
look like this:
Minute 1 2 3 4 5 6 Desp
Offensive 9 8 7 6 5 5 2
Activity 6 5 4 3 2 1 6
Kill des. 6 6 6 6 5 5 2
Att. loc. RA LA RA LA RA LA RA
Pro. loc. AM AM AM AM AM AM HE
Off tac. none -- -- -- -- -- --
Def tac. -- -- -- -- -- -- P
I play with the numbers a lot, depending on what the warrior seems to like. For
example, if he doesn't parry too well, I'll give him a more offensive desperation
strategy, like 8-4-8-slash. (If I really like a warrior I sometimes use a 7+ KD to
try and save his life.) If he never manages to get the jump on anybody, I'll try
running him more defensively, like with a first minute of 3-6-3. It's not as much fun
as going all out, but it's more fun than losing all the time.
You can challenge pretty much any style (lungers aren't recommended). When
fighting a warrior you know to be very defensive (a TP, or a scummy variety of PS, PR,
PL, or WS), slow down or you will be scummed. For the most part, though, an offensive
waste is very versatile and can beat any style. The better his important qualities
are (WT, WL, DF, endurance), the better the quality of warriors he can defeat. In
other words, if you have a so-so rollup that barely made the minimum requirements,
challenge so-so opponents. If you have a good rollup, go for the gold. Challenge
warriors with a few more fights than you, so you'll learn plenty of skills--but don't
challenge way way up in experience, because it's no fun to lose a good warrior.
For the most part, train skills--especially on your challenge strategy, when
you're going after someone with more fights! And for sure on the first fight, because
you'll likely be matched against someone who can teach you a lot. It's okay to train
con once in a while if you need more endurance and damage-taking; and if you have bad
luck on the rollup and get "does little damage" or something, you might have to train
strength once or twice (no more!). But it's best not to train any other stats until
way, way down the road.
Ask your DM sponsor or any experienced manager in your arena for more advice (if
they tell you I'm full of hot air, they're probably right). A little bit of good
advice from a more advanced player can make a big difference in your enjoyment of the
game!
If you have any questions or suggestions, you can diplo: the She-Puppy, mgr.
Mordant Prison DM-1, and others.